June 2014 - Blitz Your Body

Monthly Archives: June 2014

Time to Shake That Booty

Jun 26th, 2014 in Diet, Fitness, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

…From my boot!

Yes, sweet, sweet freedom. After ten weeks of being burdened with a walking cast, aka Aircast boot, I am taking NYC by storm and walking on my own two feet.

There they are!

I feel so lucky that I can perform a simple, everyday task, like walking. Having an injury sucks, but it does put things into perspective. When our health and vitality are taken away from us, we immediately bemoan how we took these things for granted. And when our health is restored, we have a greater appreciation for it. I hope I can keep this appreciative feeling as I leave my boot days far behind me.

Of course, I had to celebrate Boot Liberation Day with a few friends and mixed drinks.

Don’t worry, this drink was way more pina than colada.

Vegan Stuff

When you don’t eat animal products, you miss out on some important nutrients. Here’s a quick little list I put together that are must-have items if you are going to go vegan.

Vitamin B12: important for DNA synthesis, and brain and nervous system health. Unlike the other B vitamins, B12 is only found in animal products.

Nutritional Yeast: already discussed here : https://blitzyourbody.com/2014/06/glutesnooch/ This weird but tasty substance adds flavor to veggies and is supplemented with B vitamins, including B12.

Textured Vegetable Protein or TVP: I know, sounds delish, right? These are dry soy flakes. If you’ve ever had Morningstar farm soy crumbles, this is the same thing, just in its plain form and a lot cheaper. You just reconstitute it in a bit of water and add it to pasta sauce or asia stir fries to bump up the protein content. It takes on the flavor of whatever you put it in.

Oreos Kidding, kidding! I recently came across this list of surprising vegan foods and, happily, Oreos made the list http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/surprising-vegan-foods_n_3895853.html

I would never eat a toxic, chemical riddled Oreo cookie.

Or would I…

Yep, the Reese’s ones.

If you’re a vegan and have a food to add to my list, let me know on facebook.com/blitzyourbody or on Twitter @AmyBlitz1

Vegan Rage is Real, People!

Jun 18th, 2014 in Diet, Fitness by AmyBlitz

It’s been a sad morning. Not because of the vegan diet (which IS growing tiresome), but because of this…

Don’t you hate when the entire stem rips off?

I had to make a little hat so that I wouldn’t get banana in my backpack.

Caution: Genius at work.

I am more than mid-way done with my 30 day vegan diet, and am most looking forward to eating cheese again. In fact, I have begun to think of the past few months as B.C. and A.C. (Before Cheese and After Cheese, respectively).

I tried some vegan, soy-based, “cheese” which was just about the most vile thing ever invented.

Slimy, smelly and EVIL. Why does this exist???

There are a few ways to create your own vegan “cheese” with cashews and nutritional yeast but I have yet to try it. Has anyone ever made this stuff?

It’s a good thing that I live in NYC, where there is bound to be at least one vegan restaurant in any neighborhood you wander. I love Peacefood Cafe on the Upper West Side, where I treated myself to a piece of vegan carrot cake.

It tasted just like carrot cake with cream cheese frosting-amazing!

There is even a new vegan soul food restaurant in Harlem which I will be hitting up very soon: http://www.seasonedvegan.com/ Yes! SOUL FOOD! Get in my belly!

I often refer to veganism as the diet of side dishes. For example, last night I ate sauteed zucchini, a Kabocha squash mash, and a salad. I also tossed some black beans in there to help fill me up. This is a pretty typical dinner for me. I know, it sounds depressing to all you meat-eaters out there. But because I am eating a high volume of food I feel satisfied at the end of each meal.

Of course, satisfied does not mean happy, and as I write this I am being informed that I still have a poor attitude, and am short-tempered. I like to think that I’m being sassy, but yeah, I agree my fuse is short. VEGAN RAGE IS REAL, PEOPLE!

Finally, if you missed the grand announcement before, I have a new workout video on my YouTube channel! And it focuses on everyone’s favorite body part-the glutes!

Talk to me on Facebook.com/blitzyourbody or Tweet me @AmyBlitz1

Work Your Glutes and Eat Your Nooch

Jun 10th, 2014 in Diet, Fitness, Recipes, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

First thing’s first: my exercise video is out on YouTube! In this, the first of many workouts, I focus on low-impact glute exercises that anyone can do. Don’t let the words “low-impact” stop you from trying them, even if you think of yourself as more advanced. The exercises I picked are very effective for targeting the glutes, and can be made more difficult by adding weights. Check it out here:

Thanks to my friends at DSnap Photography! They did an amazing job!

And the Blitz goes on…

So, I’m a vegan now. Add in last month’s vegetarian diet, and I admit that I miss eating meat. It’s not so much that I crave it–I just miss having it as an option. But my energy is back (my workouts feel good), I’m not as sleepy in the mid-day hours, and my body finally seems to be adjusting to the new diet. Whew!

I’ve been playing around with some vegan products to ensure I get the protein and nutrients my body needs. In the strange-but-good category, I came across Nutritional Yeast.

Hmm…looks strange…

And if the name sounds weird to you, just wait till you actually see it. The stuff looks exactly like fish food and the smell…I can’t describe it. But it’s not exactly pleasant. However, once it’s sprinkled on food, it takes on a nutty, cheesy taste. I like it over steamed or stir-fried kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. It’s also good with beans and on salads. I’ve also heard it’s a tasty option for popcorn. Interesting. But really…what the hell is it?

Nutritional Yeast or “nooch” is an inactive yeast grown on molasses. It won’t help your bread rise, but it will provide you with vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, and protein. Basically all the stuff you need if you aren’t eating animal products. Try it, (on things rather than alone), and you’ll like it–I swear. If you aren’t eating any meat or dairy, you need this stuff in your life!

Got any vegan pro-tips for me? Easy recipes? Let me know on Facebook.com/blitzyourbody or Tweet @AmyBlitz1

My Month As A Vegetarian!

Jun 2nd, 2014 in Diet, Recipes, Uncategorized by AmyBlitz

I made it! Even though May was tough on my digestive system, I did enjoy the vegetarian foods that I hadn’t been allowed to eat during my Paleo month in April. Yay for bread and cheese!

Here’s the thing though: I honestly have been more forgetful than usual this month. I left my keys at home at least three times, and left my cell phone behind twice. Also, apparently I owe my loved ones an apology, as I was told by a few close friends and family members this weekend that I have been cranky. If you’re a new vegetarian and have ever had these types of symptoms, I’d love to hear from you!

Vegetarian Diet: A Breakdown

Difficulty: Preparing the food and finding veg options when dining out (healthy or not) was easy. Digesting all of that fiber: hard.

Expense: Cheap. Beans, fruits and veggies are way less expensive when compared to animal products. But my grocery bill was higher than last month (about $320) since I was buying veggies for me and meat for Vin (I just can’t understand why he didn’t want to go vegetarian!) Note from Vin: “I like food to taste good, and have been given teeth meant to tear apart animal flesh.”

What I Ate: All of the same veggies as I did with Paleo (kale, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli, etc) plus a ton of beans. I also ate a lot more mushrooms this month as a substitute for meat. My grains of choice were quinoa, brown rice, and Ezekial bread.

Energy Level: The first two weeks I felt a big drop in energy. Now that it’s been 30 days, I feel my energy is restored.

Body Changes: No change. I’m exactly the same as the end of last month. So eating carbs doesn’t automatically equal weight gain. Sorry Paleo.

Food Time!

One of the best things I made this month is a Thai red curry Kabucha squash recipe I found at

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30268-thai-red-curry-with-kabocha-squash

Yes, I know it’s not Kabucha squash season (duh), but this is America, dammit, where you can eat out-of-season foods with abandon! I served it over a combo of brown rice and cauliflower “rice”. If you’ve never heard of cauliflower rice, give it a try. It can add bulk to a grain dish, or replace the grains altogether. There are hundreds of blogs with methods to make cauliflower rice, but really, all you have to do is put dry florets in a food processor and pulse until you get that “grainy” look. Then, in small batches, toast up the cauliflower in a dry non-stick pan. Don’t overload the pan, or the cauliflower will just steam instead of toast. You can also do all of the prep work in the food processor , then freeze it until you are ready to toast it up.

Here’s the finished product:The recipe is a little conservative in the spice department. I like things hot, so I added an extra TB of red curry paste.

June is Vegan month. I’m a little worried about 30 days of no eggs, which is a pretty big staple in my diet. If you’re a vegan and have any tips or questions, please hit me up on FB.com/blitzyourbody or talk to me on Twitter @AmyBlitz1